Plans reviewed for Broadway corridor through North Knoxville

Officials seek input of residents in hopes of later getting funds

More than two dozen Fountain City residents voiced their opinions Thursday on how best to improve the Broadway corridor through North Knoxville.

The meeting, which was at Smithwood Baptist Church, and hosted by the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization, allowed consultants from the firm of Gresham, Smith and Partners to explain how they'd fleshed out ideas gathered during an earlier meeting to solicit public input as part of the Complete Streets Study.

The ultimate goal of the Complete Streets effort is to translate the recommendations into a proposal that hopefully can be used later to secure funding, officials said.

"For public projects, there's not a lot of money," consultant Kevin Tilbury told the crowd. "The only way you'll get a project funded is if you have a plan in place."

Planners want to transform the Broadway corridor into a thoroughfare that can be safely used by pedestrians, public transit riders and bicyclists, as well as motorists, he explained.

Suggestions included the incremental placing of crosswalks, sidewalks and bicycle lanes at strategic locations.

"The long-term vision is ultimately that you would have sidewalks on both sides of Broadway," said consultant Jon Henney.

Adding 4-foot bike lanes along the road's existing shoulder also would be an option, he said, although any potential projects will have to be balanced against the goal of keeping a smooth flow of automotive traffic.

Making it safer for pedestrians to cross the street was high on the list of priorities, as Broadway has fewer dedicated crossing spots than other areas of the city.

Consultant Trey Rudolph described how some intersections actually serve as barriers to pedestrian traffic, such as the short stretch on Broadway that runs past Fountain City Lake and includes intersections with Cedar Lane, Essary Drive and Hotel Road.

"We're not going to say we've figured it out yet," he said. "This is a major engineering project."

There are a number of ways to implement the suggested improvements, Tilbury said, but there's no guarantee they can be accomplished soon, given the projected costs.

Public funding is a key concern, he said, but there might be ways to have the private sector contribute through the use of building standards, a sidewalk ordinance or form-based zoning.

"You'll start to see these things get built, one block at a time," he said.

Residents said they were pleased by their opportunity to help guide the process of determining which measures should have the highest priority.

"I am very excited about what they're doing," said Thea Yoder. "More walkability in all of Knoxville is what we'd love."

Garry Menendez was skeptical that improvements are likely to come anytime soon but optimistic that the community is showing interest in beautifying the area, especially the hub of Fountain City near Hotel Road.

"Fountain City has a real core, and I would like to see that expanded and reclaimed over a period of time," he said.

The TPO is still accepting public input for the Complete Streets Study through its Web site at www.knoxtrans.org.